Hydrocarbon burning device with orifice cleaning means



March 30, 1965 R. s. KNAPP ETAL HYDROCARBON BURNING DEVICE WITH ORIFICECLEANING MEANS a M m .v \M\\ m M i Q m J 1% @IJ a MAW a a w a a Z a Mmm? 1 f 1 a 4 m a /Y F8 MW M 9 1, W 9 I 3 d A I V m "E I m q, M #0 m a Ww n a j I 0 II I o H Mud FlL 1 II I 1 0 0 0 F MWOMMM x ax m 2 F 5 4/ w MI C 4 3.

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent F 3,175,601 HYDROCARBON BURNING DEVICE WITH ORIFICECLEANING MEANS Robert S. Knapp and Richard B. Nebinger, St. Louis, Mo.,

assignors to Knapp-Monarch Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug.9, 1963, Ser. No. 308,611 2 Claims. (Cl. 158-120) This invention relatesto cleaning means for portable hydrocarbon burning appliances and, moreparticularly, to novel cleaning means which is simple, durable andinexpensive to manufacture.

This application is a continuation in part of application Serial No.153,308, filed November 20, 1961 and now abandoned for Weighted CleaningWire for Hydrocarbon Burning Appliance.

One object of the invention is to provide a cleaning means thateliminates the necessity of packing glands and other mechanical featureswhich are sometimes objectionable in connection with portablehydrocarbon burning appliances, such as stoves, lanterns or the like.

Another object is to provide cleaning means in the form of a chamberedfitting in which a weighted cleaning wire is so mounted that it normallydoes not interfere with the flow of gas or liquid fuel through thechamber and out of a discharge orifice at the upper end thereof, wherebywhen the appliance is turned upside down the weight will project thecleaning wire through the orifice for cleaning any obstructiontherefrom. It may here be mentioned that in all types of liquid or gasfuel burning appliances where an orifice is used to reduce the fuelsupply pressure and aspirate air for combustion, a problem existsbecause of occasional clogging of the orifice caused by impurities inthe fuel, contamination of the fuel from outside dust or dirt particles,or caking of the hydrocarbon fuel itself in the orifice of theappliance. Heretofore this problem has been solved by inserting a smallwire into the orifice to remove the obstruction. Normally this wire ispermanently mounted on the high pressure side of the orifice andarranged so that a wire handle extends through a packing gland, and thecleaning wire can be moved in and out of the orifice by hand operationof the wire handle. Experience has shown this method for cleaning anorifice to be very effective in both gasoline and butane burningappliances. However, it has the objection that a packing or seal isrequired to prevent gas leakage around the operating wire or handle.Since temperatures are rather high adjacent the burner, a potentialleakage problem exists at this packing gland, and the packing is anadditional expense of manufacture of the product.

Accordingly, the present invention contemplates the provision ofcleaning means entirely enclosed within a fitting of the appliance whichneeds no external operating means, being in the form of a weightedcleaning wire normally free of the discharge orifice but coactingtherewith by gravity when the appliance is turned upside down. Thereuponone or two shakes imparted to the appliance in the up and down directionwill cause the weighted cleaning wire to accomplish its purpose.

A further object is to provide a simple construction comprising achambered fitting to which an orifice fitting is secured in such mannerthat the weighted cleaning wire can be inserted during assembly and willthereafter operate properly to permit fuel passage when the appliance isin its normal position, and extend through the orifice to effect acleaning operation when the appliance is inverted and shaken asdescribed.

Still a further object is to provide the orifice fitting with aninternal cone-shaped portion to guide the clean- 3,175,601 Patented Mar.30, 1965 ing wire into the orifice thereof during the cleaningoperation.

With these and other objects in view, the invention herein describedconsists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the variousparts of the orifice cleaning means whereby the objects abovecontemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointedout in the appended claims and illustrated in detail on the accompanyingdrawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a hydrocarbon burningappliance in the nature of a camp lantern to which the present inventionhas been applied;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the invention and includes agenerator tube as part of a subassembly suitable for lanterns and thelike, the parts being shown in normal or upright position of theappliance; and

FIGURE 3 is a similar view in which the appliance and thereby theorifice cleaning mechanism are inverted and have been operated bygravity.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, there is shown a portablehydrocarbon burning appliance embodying the present invention. Thereference numeral 10 indicates a base stand on which a perforatedlantern body 12 is mounted and surmounted by a transparent globe 14 anda draft cap 16. The usual carrying handle for the lantern is illustratedat 18.

An LP. (liquid petroleum) container 20 is illustrated such as one of thetype containing butane under pressure. The container 20 provides theappliance with a self-contained source of fuel. A fuel pipe 22 extendsupwardly therefrom, being interrupted by a control valve 23, the controlknob of which is shown at 24. The fitting 26 connects the pipe 22 withone end of a generator tube 28, the other end of which is connected to achambered fitting 30, which is normally disposed in an upright position.The chamber therein is indicated at 32. The parts 28 and 30 may beconnected together by a nut 34. A passageway 36 extends through thefitting 30 from the generator tube 28 to the chamber 32.

An orifice fitting 38 communicates with the chamber 32 and is preferablyseparable from the fitting 30. For this purpose it may be connectedthereto by a nut 40. The fitting 38 has a fuel discharge orifice 42. Theinterior of fitting 38 is cone-shaped as at 44 to serve as a guide forthe weighted orifice-cleaning wire hereinafter described.

The foregoing arrangement provides a straight-through gas passagewaythat includes passageway 36, chamber 32, bore 44 and orifice 42. This ishighly desirable since the fitting 30 is only a relatively inexpensivepart that may be conveniently obtained or made by a screw machine, andno complex constructions or intersecting bores or passageways need beprovided to obtain a reliably operable device.

In the chamber 32 an elongated weight 46 is provided, and extendingupwardly therefrom as shown in FIGURE 2 is an elongated cleaning wire 48of a length adapted to project through and beyond the orifice 42. Theweight 46 normally assumes the position shown in FIG- URE 2 but is notseated with a gas-tight fit to the fitting 30. When in the positionshown, the weight 46 and the wire 48 are totally enclosed within chamber32. The wire 48 is spaced from orifice 42, and there is suflicient spacebetween the weight 46 and the internal wall of the chamber 32 for freegas passage from the generator tube 28 to the orifice 42 without anymovement of weight 46 responsive to the pressure of the flowing gas. Ifnecessary, the lower end of the weight 46, or the shoulder in thefitting 30 against which weight 46 normally engages,

may be grooved or otherwise roughened to permit'sufiicient gas passage.

The fittings 30 and 38-are illustrated inside a tube 49 that terminatesin a Venturi fitting 50 which in turn communicates with'a gas tube52'discharging into a mantle 54. The lantern illustrated is operated inthe usual manner, that is, the knob 24 is used to open the valve 23 andthe gas issuing into the mantle may be ignited whereupon the gas willburn for illuminating purposes.

In theevent the orifice 42 becomes clogged by impurities in the fuel orcaking of the fuel itself, the appliance (in the illustrated case, thelanternymay be iriverted which will likewise invert the fittings 30 and38 to the position shown in FIGURE 3. Gravity thereupon acts upon theweight 46 which has suificientmass to force the wire 48 through theorifice 42as illustrated, and if a single downward motion of theweighted wire 48 does not accomplish complete cleaning, the appliancemay be shaken vertically one or two times and this is usuallysufi'icient to clear the orifice. The portion of weight 4-6 adjacentwire 48 is shaped so as to enter the cone-shaped recess 44, as seen inFIGURE 3, thereby providing for guidance of wire 48"through orifice 42.

It will be obvious that the cleaning operation is accomplished withoutmanipulation of a cleaning wire through a packing gland as in priorconstructions, and with a very simple and inexpensive construction forthe purpose.

. The cost of such a device is low as it eliminates a comcan be used onany portable liquid or gas fuel operated type of appliance such as astove or heater wherever valve clogging can occur and cause a problem ofnot feeding the proper amount of fuel. It can also be used on gasolineor kerosene operated appliances, and on either low or high pressure gasoperated appliances using propane, butane or other gas or fuel.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of theparts of the disclosed cleaning device without departing from the realspirit and purpose of our invention, and it is our intention to cover byour claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanicalequivalents which may reasonably be included within their scope.

We claim, as our invention:

1. In combination with a portable hydrocarbon burning appliance having aself-contained source of hydrocarbon fuel, a cleaning device comprisinga tubular chambered'fitting having only axial openings therein andarranged to have the longitudinal axis of; the tubular carbon fuel, afuel discharge orifice above and communicating with the chamber in saidfitting, a weight gravitationally movable within and totally enclosed insaid chamber and of less length than the length of said chamber,- anelongated cleaning wire adapted for sliding through said orifice carriedby and projecting from said weight toward said orifice and terminatingspaced therefrom when said fitting is in said normal position, saidappliance being constructed and arranged to be inverted, whereby when insaid normal position the presence of the weight and cleaning wire insaid chamber permits free flow of hydrocarbon'fuel around and past saidentire Weight and wire and for unrestricted passage through saiddischarge orifice, and whereby when said appliance and thereby saidfitting is turned upside down relative to said normal position, saidweight effects projection of said cleaning Wire into said orifice toclean said orifice.

2 In combination with a portable hydrocarbon burning appliance having aself-contained source of fuel, a

cleaning device comprising a'tubular chambered fitting arranged to havethe longitudinal axis of the fitting normally in an upright position, anorifice fitting associated with said chambered fittingand defining afuel discharge orifice opening axially above and communicating with thechamber in said fitting, means for communicating said chambered fittingwith said source of fuelja weight in said chamber, a cleaning wireadapted for use with said orifice opening carried by and projecting fromsaid weight toward said orifice opening, said weight and wire beingnormally totally enclosed within said chamber'with the weight occupyinga position in the lower portion of said chamber and said wireterminating spaced from said orifice opening when said fitting is insaid upright position, said appliance being constructed and arranged tobe manually turned upside down, whereby when in said normal uprightposition, the presence of the weight and wire in said chamber permitsnormal free flow of fluid fuel around and past said entire weight andwire and freely through said orifice opening for said appliance, andwhereby when said appliance and thereby said fitting is turned upsidedown relative to said upright position, said weight effects projectionof said cleaning wire into and through said orifice opening, saidorifice fitting having an internal guide portion for said cleaning .wireto guide it into said orifice opening during the cleaning operation.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,399,655 12/21Rector 158 2,206,949 7/40 Giles.

JAMES w. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A PORTABLE HYDROCARBON BURNING APPLIANCE HAVING A SELF-CONTAINED SOURCE OF HYDROCARBON FUEL, A CLEANING DEVICE COMPRISING A TUBULAR CHAMBERED FITTING HAVING ONLY AXIAL OPENINGS THEREIN AND ARRANGED TO HAVE THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE TUBULAR FITTING IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION DURING NORMAL OPERATION OF THE APPLIANCE, MEANS FOR COMMUNICATING SAID CHAMBERED FITTING WITH SAID SELF-CONTAINED SOURCE OF HYDROCARBON FUEL, A FUEL DISCHARGE ORIFICE ABOVE AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE CHAMBER IN SAID FITTING, A WEIGHT GRAVITATIONALLY MOVABLE WITHIN AND TOTALLY ENCLOSED IN SAID CHAMBER AND OF LESS LENGTH THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID CHAMBER, AN ELONGATED CLEANING WIRE ADAPTED FOR SLIDING THROUGH SAID ORIFICE CARRIED BY AND PROJECTING FROM SAID WEIGHT TOWARD SAID ORIFICE AND TERMINATING SPACED THEREFROM WHEN SAID FITTING IS IN SAID NORMAL POSITION, SAID APPLIANCE BEING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO BE INVERTED, WHEREBY WHEN IN SAID NORMAL POSITION THE PRESENCE OF THE WEIGHT AND CLEANING WIRE IN SAID CHAMBER PERMITS FREE FLOW OF HYDROCARBON FUEL AROUND AND PAST SAID ENTIRE WEIGHT AND WIRE AND FOR UNRESTRICTED PASSAGE THROUGH SAID DISCHARGE ORIFICE, AND WHEREBY WHEN SAID APPLICANCE AND THEREBY SAID FITTING IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN RELATIVE TO SAID NORMAL POSITION, SAID WEIGHT EFFECTS PROJECTION OF SAID CLEANING WIRE INTO SAID ORIFICE TO CLEAN SAID ORIFICE. 